Unforseen
by Katriona
Summary: When Piper starts having a recurring nightmare, she travels fifteen years into the future to an apocolyptic San Francisco to save the strange young girl who's been haunting her dreams. *Please r&r*
1. Unite Un

Unforseen  
(working title)  
  
Summary: When Piper starts having a recurring nightmare, she travels fifteen years into the future to an apocolyptic San Francisco to save the strange young girl who's been haunting her dreams.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, the characters, etc.  
  
A/N: In the fic, Piper isn't pregnant yet, although they did vanquish Cole.  
  
A/N: Please review. I need feedback.  
  
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"Where's the amulet?" a large, middle-aged, harsh-looking man demanded of a young, beautiful girl.  
  
"I don't know," the girl said, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.  
  
The man slammed his hand on the table angrily. "Guys aren't attracted to girls who play stupid, Polly, I don't care what your mother said to you."  
  
The girl stood up defiantly. "My name is Molly," she said evenly, "And don't talk about my mother."  
  
The man smiled at this display of attitude coming from such a small, weak-looking thing. He guessed the girl to be somewhere in her teens, but she looked to be about eleven or twelve. "Really, Molly," he said laughing, "what do you think you're going to do about it? Run away?"  
  
"Maybe." she said cooly.  
  
"You'll do no such thing. You've got nowhere else to go, Molly. You don't think your mother would want you out on the street, do you?"  
  
Molly said nothing, just stared at him, her expression cold. This seemed to make him angrier than the challengin, haughty tone she'd used with him before.  
  
"Stop acting like a child, Molly." he ordered.  
  
"I am a child!" she screamed, then, before he could stop her, she ran out of the house. He got up to chase her, but he was easily outrun. Molly didn't stop until she was deep into the woods across the street. From there, she could only barely see the lights from the house...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Piper. Piper, wake up."  
  
Piper gasped, then awoke to find her husband, Leo, standing over her. "Leo, what's wrong?"  
  
"I was about to ask you the same thing." he said. "Baby, you were crying in your sleep."  
  
Piper rubbed her eyes, and sure enough, found that her cheek was wet. She nearly started crying again, when the memory of her dream came back to her. "I... I had that nightmare again." she choked out. "The one with that girl. This guy was yelling at her, and he was talking about her mother, and then she ran away..."  
  
"Honey, it was just a dream." Leo said, trying to comfort his wife.  
  
"Right." she said. "You're right. Let's go back to sleep, baby, it's late." 


	2. Unite Deux

Molly hid in the woods, crouched behind a big oak tree, until well after midnight. She knew it had to be after twelve, she could hear the television blasting, even from across the street. She shivered. Now what time was it? Had to be at least 12:30. By then, she figured it was safe to go back into the house. She was right. As she expected, the old man was passed out on the living room couch when she walked in.  
  
Rolling her eyes, Molly crept silently upstairs to her bedroom. Checking to make sure the door was locked, she went over to her dresser and pulled out a small wooden jewelry box. Inside this box was the only thing Molly owned that she really gave a damn about. The amulet her mother had given her for her thirteenth birthday, two years ago. Only days after that, Molly's family had died, and, it seemed, the whole world had gone to hell. But on Molly's birthday, things had been good.  
  
Just think about that, Molly told herself. Think about when things were good. She took the amulet out of the box, and, clutching it, rocked herself, smiling at the memories even as she cried herself to sleep.  
  
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"Oh!"  
  
Piper gasped as she woke up, and sat up, clutching her chest. That poor little girl... It had seemed so real.  
  
It was real.  
  
The realization hit her with a shock. At first, she tried to dismiss it, but the more she tried to convince herself that it was nothing more than a bad dream, the more she was positive that it was something greater.  
  
She looked over to the empty spot on the bed next to her. Leo was gone, probably with a charge. There was only one other thing she could think of to do.  
  
She got up, pulled on a robe, and went downstairs to look for her sisters.  
  
She found them sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.  
  
"Hey, sweetie, what's wrong?" Paige asked upon seeing Piper's expression.  
  
Piper pulled up a chair in between her younger sisters, and told them about her recurring nightmare. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you, this isn't just a dream." she finished.  
  
"Did you ask Leo about it?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Sort of..." Piper said. "I told him about it a few weeks ago, when it started, but up until this morning i thought it was just a bad dream, so we didn't really think to much about it."  
  
"Okay, well maybe you should call him." Phoebe said.  
  
Piper nodded. "Leo! LEO!"  
  
Her husband/whitelighter orbed into the kitchen, looking worried. "What is it, what's wrong?"  
  
"Remember the dream I had last night? And the ones I've been having? I think they were more than your average nightmare." Piper said, going on to explain the feeilng, almost an instinct, that she'd had when she woke up from the latest one. "I think Molly's an innocent. Whoever she is, I know she's real, and she's in trouble."  
  
"I'll check with the Elders." Leo said. He waasn't sure what to make of this, but the concerned, scared look on his wife's face told him he needed to take this seriously, for her sake if not for an innocent girl who may or may not exist. He orbed out, leaving Piper with her sisters.  
  
"Maybe we should check the Book of Shadows?" Paige suggested, for lack of a better plan. Her sisters agreed, and they ran up to the attic.  
  
Half an hour later, Paige and Phoebe were flipping through the book, and Piper was sitting on the couch with a map in front of her, holding a crystal over it.  
  
"You aren't going to find her by scrying." Leo said as he orbed into the attic.  
  
"What did they say?" Piper asked anxiously.  
  
Leo sat down next to his wife and put his arms around her, motioning for Phoebe and Paige to come listen. They sat on Piper's other side as Leo repeated what he'd heard Up There.  
  
"They think that your dream is actually a vision, of something that's going to happen in the future." he said.  
  
"Hey, that's my power." Phoebe joked.  
  
Piper looked at Leo. "Phoebe's right, she's supposed to be the one with premonitions. Why am I getting them?"  
  
"The Elders didn't know. Maybe it has something to do with your own future, or directly affects you?" he guessed.  
  
Piper shook her head. "That's impossible. I didn't recognise anyone from the dream."  
  
"So what do we do?" Paige asked.  
  
"The Elders don't know that there's anything we can do." Leo said. "Piper's dreams have been pretty vague. If we don't know when or where this is happening, how are we supposed to find the girl?"  
  
"There has to be something." Piper said, getting up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Paige called after her.  
  
"To write a spell." Piper replied. She went back to her room and sat down on the bed, where she'd been getting the visions, if that was what they were. She reached over to the nightstand and pulled a pen and pad out from the drawer. Then, she sat down to write.  
  
It only took a few minutes. It was as if something was guiding her, telling her what words to write down on the paper. When she was finished, Piper read the spell aloud.  
  
"Unforseen future that lies in wait  
Open for me time's locked gate  
Take me to the one I must protect  
Don't let me lose this innocent"  
  
Leo, Phoebe, and Paige came in just as Piper was reciting the last line. They huddled around her as a bright light filled the room, and the floor seemed to tilt.They felt themselves falling, and then everything went black. 


	3. Unite Trois

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A/N: So, what do you think of the story so far? I know it isn't much, but it gets better after this chapter. Chapter 4 is already written, and the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll put it up.  
Please review! I   
have a bunch of other fics to work on, and the ones that get the most reviews are the ones that get the most attention.  
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Damn. He was at it again. Molly should have known something was wrong when she woke up that morning and he wasn't there. She should have left well enough alone and gone to school, but no. She'd been worried, though she couldn't fathom why, and she'd gone looking for him. She'd found him passed out again on his bedroom floor. He woke up when she opened the door, and he'd been yelling at her ever since.  
  
Damn hindsight, Molly thought. "I'm leaving." she told him. 'I've got school."  
  
"Fine, go." he said, "But there isn't much point. You're failing, aren't you? You never were very bright."  
  
Molly ignored him. "Bye, Louis." she called, grabbing her books and practically flying out the door. She could hear Louis slamming the door and cursing behind her.  
  
Already late for school, Molly decided to take the short cut through the woods. She ran, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the house as possible, and nearly ran into a woman who looked strangely like someone Molly knew...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Piper blinked, hard. She looked around, and realised she was outside, in a forest. That's when she remembered what had happened. The spell, she thought. It must have taken me here.  
  
"Whoa, where are we?" Paige asked.  
  
Piper spun around, surprised to see Paige, Phoebe, and Leo standing behind her. "How did you three get here?"  
  
"The same way you did, I suppose." Phoebe guessed. "We came in when you cast the spell. Um, honey? Why did you cast the spell?"  
  
Piper didn't answer. She just started walking, toward the edge of the woods. The trees became farther apart, and she could see a cluster of houses. One of them was set far apart from the others. For lack of any better plan, Piper started toward, all the while looking around.  
  
She was studying the run-down neighborhood when she almost collided with a young girl. Piper was startled to realize that this was the girl from her nightmares.  
  
"Molly?" Piper asked, almost inaudibly.  
  
"No..." the girl whispered. "You aren't.... you can't be..." Molly turned around and started running. Piper, Leo, and her sisters did the only thing they could think of to do: run after her.  
  
"Molly!" Piper called out. "Molly, please, I need to talk to you. I don't know why I'm here, but I think I can help you, if you let me."  
  
Molly slowed down, turned around, and looked at Piper suspiciously. "You can't be..." she said again.  
  
"Can't be what?" Piper asked, genuinely confused.  
  
"But you look just like..." Molly continued. She looked up, studying Piper for a moment. "My God, you are. You don't know, but oh, you must be."  
  
"Must be what?" Piper asked, her confusion turning into alarm.  
  
Molly reached out to touch Piper, then thought better of it and instead answered the question. "My mother." 


	4. Unite Quatre

"I'm what?" Piper asked increduously.  
  
"My mother. I know it sounds crazy, but... Look," Molly said, getting an idea. She reached under her sweater and pulled out a small gold locket. She took the chain off, and handed it to Piper.  
  
Piper looked at the locket, turning it over in her hands. She recognised it immedeately. It used to belong to Piper's mother. She opened it carefully. Inside was a picture of herself with a seven-year-old version of Molly.  
  
Piper looked up at Molly. "You're... you're my daughter?"  
  
Molly nodded, then looked past her to Leo, Phoebe, and Paige. "Daddy!" she exclaimed. "And Aunt Phoebe, and Aunt Paige... you all came back."  
  
"Back from where?" Paige asked.  
  
Molly bit her lip. "Maybe we should go inside. Louis has to have left for work by now."  
  
"Louis?" Piper asked. "Is he the guy you've been living with?"  
  
Molly nodded. "How did you know?"  
  
As they walked toward the house, Piper explained to her about the dreams, and then about the spell she'd cast that brought them here. "You do know about magic, right?" she asked. "I mean, we didn't keep that from you?"  
  
"No," Molly answered. "you didn't. My powers were too strong to bind, so you taught me from an early age to control them." Molly opened the door and led them into a dark, small house. The outside was unkempt, but that was nothing compared to the interior - beer bottles, crumbs, and other garbage was everywhere.  
  
"I let you live here?!?" Piper exclaimed.  
  
"No, you didn't let me." Molly said. "Um, maybe you'd better sit down."  
  
She cleared a place on the couch, and her parents and aunts sat, looking at her expectantly.  
  
"Um, I'm not sure if I should be telling you this," she began nervously.  
  
"It's okay, honey, go ahead." Leo assured her.  
  
"Well, two years ago, a few days after my thirteenth birthday, a demon attacked us at the manor. He was working with a darklighter, and the darklighter shot Daddy with one of his arrows, and then got to Aunt Paige..." Molly paused, wiping tears from her cheek, and continued, looking to the floor as if she was talking to herself. "Mom tried to blow him up, but he disappeared, and the demon came up behind me, and Aunt Phoebe ran at him, but he threw an energy ball at her, and she hit the wall really hard. Mom was pleading with him to let me go, and he did, but then he threw her across the room, and she hit the old grandfather clock, and then I ran, and I called for help, but by that time it was too late, they said you'd... died."  
  
Molly looked up at them. By now she was cryingso hard she was gasping for breath. Piper pulled her onto the couch with them, hugging her tightly. Phoebe, Paige, and Leo all tried to comfort her, and, after a while, she stopped crying.  
  
"So you've been living here ever since?" Phoebe asked when the girl had calmed down.  
  
Molly nodded.  
  
"But why? Isn't there somewhere else you could go?" Paige asked.  
  
"No. After you guys died, the balance between good and evil was tipped considerably in evil's favour. Without the Charmed Ones, there was nobody to fight the upper-level demons that came after the Source. It's gotten really bad, to the point of an apocolypse." Molly said.  
  
"This guy you've been living with," Piper started, "how did you meet him?"  
  
"I stumbled into this neighborhood one night, after I'd been living on the street a while, and he found me and said I could live with him if I agreed to cover for him when he went out selling drugs." she explained.  
  
Piper looked at Leo. "We've got to stop this from happening."  
  
Leo nodded. "I know, but how?"  
  
"Wait a minute," Paige said, thinking out loud. "If all we're supposed to do is change her past - our future - wouldn't Molly have come to us? Maybe the reason we were sent here is to help her."  
  
"Help her how?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"The demon." Molly said suddenly. "He's still out there, I know he is. I think..." she paused, and took a breath. "I think he's coming back for me."  
  
"What makes you think that?" Leo asked.  
  
"I had a premontion." Molly said. "I saw him, he was throwing an athame at me."  
  
"You've got the power of premonition?" Piper asked.  
  
"I've got all three of Melinda Warren's powers. Yes, you told me about her." Molly said at Piper surprised look. "Many times. You also told me about Prue. Her astral projection was one of the first powers I learned to control."  
  
"What other powers do you have?" Piper wanted to know.  
  
"A lot." Molly replied. "I am the daughter of a whitelighter and a Charmed One. The main one I've got that you don't is telepathy. It's like how whitelighters can sense their charges' thoughts and emotions, only since I'm a witch, I have the power to let people sense my thoughts, too."  
  
"Cool." Paige remarked.  
  
"It is." Molly said, smiling. "It must be how you got those dreams, Mom, although I wasn't trying to send you any kind of message. Maybe... Maybe it's the amulet?" she suggested.  
  
"What amulet?" Leo questioned.  
  
Molly stared up the stairs, motioning for them to follow. She pulled the amulet out of it's storage box, and held it up for them to see.  
  
"You made this for me for my thirteenth birthday. You said it would protect me."  
  
"How is that possible? There's no such thing as a protection spell." Phoebe said.  
  
"This isn't a spell." Molly told her. "It's more like a shield. I'm not sure exactly how you made it. You probably wrote it down in the Book of Shadows."  
  
"Okay, so where's the book?" Piper asked.  
  
Molly bit her lip. "It's still in the manor. I don't think anyone lives there, though. We could go get it."  
  
"Allright, then, let's go." Paige urged her sisters.  
  
"Are you sure there's no one there?" Phoebe asked apprehensively.  
  
"No." Molly admitted.  
  
"Well, it can't hurt to check it out." Piper said, already getting up. By unspoken consent, her family followed her downstairs, and they set out for the manor. 


	5. Unite Cinq

A/N: I haven't forgotten about this fic, but I had forgotten about the chapter or two I hadn't uploaded yet. Review, and more will come. :D  
  
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Piper stood at the sidewalk, looking up at the broken-down, unkempt mess that used to be her beloved family home. From the looks of it, nobody had lived there in well over a decade. The grass was up to her waist, the wood on the porch was rotting, the shutters were falling off the windows. Piper shivered, wondering how it could have gotten this bad.  
  
Molly and Leo stood on either side of her, and, next to them, Phoebe and Paige stared at the manor in their own state of shock and disbelief.  
  
"Come on," Molly said, urging them inside. She ran up the steps, and tried the door. Locked, but not a problem. With one swift kick, the lock gave and the door swung open.  
  
"When did you learn to do that?" Piper demanded, mouth open in surprise.  
  
"You don't want to know," Molly said, grimancing. Taking her mother's hand, she led them inside.  
  
If the outside was the epitome of shabby and neglected, the inside was a museum. Piper was shocked at her familiar surroundings; aside from multiple layers of dust and pieces of plywood covering the windows, the manor really hadn't changed much.  
  
Paige, the last to enter the house, closed the door behind them. Suddenly, it was pitch-black, the only light coming from cracks in the boards covering up the windows. They stood still, waiting for their eyes to adjust. Then, Phoebe went into the kitchen. It only took her a minute to find what she was looking for; candles, in the same drawer where they had always kept them. She quickly located the matches, and returned to the foyer where they rest of her family was standing.  
  
Armed with these lights, they proceeded upstairs. Piper was the first to reach the attic. It took her a while, but she finally managed to twist the stuck doornob, and open the door.  
  
"Why is it sealed so tightly?" she asked.  
  
Molly shrugged. "Nobody's been able to get in here since... well, you know. They tried everything, even chopping the door down, but it still held. Uncle Darryl finally convinced the other cops to give up."  
  
Paige went over to the Book of Shadows. Surprisingly, the book was clean. Unlike the rest of the house, it was untouched by dust or grime. "So, what are we looking for?" she asked.  
  
As if in answer to her question, the book started flipping pages on its own. It stopped on a page featuring an all-to-familiar spell.  
  
"How is that in the Book of Shadows?" Piper asked. "I just wrote that this morning, how did that get in the Book of Shadows?"  
  
"Your 'this morning' was fifteen years ago," Molly reminded her.  
  
Piper sighed. Time-travel always gave her a headache. "Okay, well then, why did the book stop on that page? We need to kill the demon, not go even farther into the future." She looked inquiringly at her sisters, who in turn looked to Leo.   
  
Leo shrugged helplessly, then looked ot his daughter. "Can I go to the Elders?" he asked.  
  
"You can try," Molly said, "But I doubt it would do much good."  
  
"It's worth a shot," Leo said, "Especially since we don't know why we're here, exactly."  
  
Piper nodded. He kissed her good-bye, and orbed out.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Paige asked.  
  
"We should probably get out of here." Molly cautioned. "There's nothing to do around here anymore except throw rocks at abandoned houses, and things tend to come flying through the windows."  
  
Phoebe raised her eyebrows. "Can't they go to the arcade or something?"  
  
Molly shook her head. "The economy was in a recession around the time when... Anyway, it never got better."  
  
"And all of this is because of us?" Paige gasped.  
  
"Like I said, the balance was tipped." Molly repeated. She stood up, motioning for her mother and aunts to follow her. Piper grabbed the Book on their way out. 


	6. Unite Six

"Where are we going?" Piper asked when they were halfway down the street.  
  
"Not far," Molly promised. "There's this place across town, not many people know about it, but it's an awesome hangout. I go there sometimes, to get away from Louis."  
  
Piper looked away, feeling another pang of guilt at the thought that her daughter would have to get away from anyone. They walked the rest of the way in silence. The streets were dirty, broken, almost unrecognisable, but still, Piper knew almost automatically how to get to wherever Molly was taking them. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they arrived, standing right in front of a building Piper immedeately knew.  
  
"P3!" she exclaimed. The building they stood in front of now was undiscernable as Piper's meticulous, well-kept nightclub. Paradoxically, this place was near collapse. There was litter all over, the walls were covered with graffiti, and the sign had long ago fallen down. Piper walked slowly around her beloved club, wondering what happened but not daring to ask.  
  
Molly led them in through the back entrance. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, Piper realized the place was half-full of people, most of them Molly's age or older. Her daughter went over to one man, off by himself, who, even in the dim light, didn't look quite human.  
  
"Adam, this is my family." she introduced. "Mom, Dad, Aunt Phoebe, Aunt Paige, this is Adam. He's a Caninate."  
  
Piper's eyes narrowed. "Caninate?"  
  
"A new breed of mythical creatures." Molly explained. "When everything started falling apart, They were desperate to find something, anything, that could help restore peace. They started experimenting, trying to manipulate magic into new, powerful beings. Adam was the first. He's part dog, and part... magic."  
  
"Hello." Adam said. His voice was deep and rough, and he appeared to be a bit slow. Molly patted his head affectionately.  
  
"Uhh, hi," Paige responded. Piper, Leo, and Phoebe merely stared.  
  
"Don't worry, he's harmless," Molly assured them. "Well, unless we make him mad by forgetting to feed him or walk him, or if somebody hides his painting supplies. See, his magic is tied to his emotions just like ours, so when he gets upset, things tend to get... interesting."  
  
"Sounds like someone else we know," Phoebe quipped, nudging Piper, who glared at her.  
  
Molly grinned. "Mom's exploding power always was the most fun to watch."  
  
"Uh-huh, okay, let's just stick to figuring out how the hell to keep this from happening," Piper cut in.  
  
"Molly, you're more familiar with what goes on around here than us," Leo started, putting his arms around his wife. "Do you have any suggestions on how to change what happens?"  
  
Molly thought for a minute, her expression becoming serious. "Well, you guys weren't prepared for this particular demon," she said. "Maybe if we can figure out who he was, then you'll be able to vanquish him in your time."  
  
Piper nodded. "Sounds reasonable. Okay, describe him to us, and then Leo and Paige can orb up and see what the Elders know-"  
  
She was interrupted by Molly shaking her head. "That won't work," she said miserably. "The Elders are pretty much useless now. The ones that are still alive are hiding, and I'm not sure even They know much of anything anymore."  
  
"Okay, well then there must be another source of infor-"  
  
Piper was once again interrupted, this time by Paige. "Wait, the Elders are only useless in this time. What if we go back?"  
  
"Yeah, but we need Molly to describe the demon so we have something to tell the Elders," Phoebe pointed out.  
  
"So we bring her back with us," Piper suggested, finally able to complete a thought.  
  
Leo looked to his daughter. "Will that work?"  
  
Molly nodded. "I don't see why not."  
  
"It's settled, then," Piper said. "Where's the return spell?"  
  
"You never wrote one," Molly told her.  
  
Piper frowned. "All right, I'll write one now."  
  
"Bring us back through the gates of time,  
  
To help us preserve our magical line,  
  
We've gotten what we came here for  
  
Now bring us back through time once more."  
  
Leo, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Molly suddenly found themselves bathed in a bright light. Piper instinctively grabbed on to Molly as they all lost their balance, and everything went dark. 


	7. Unite Sept

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves back in Piper and Leo's bedroom. The adults all breathed a sigh of relief at being in such familiar surroundings. Molly let go of her mother's hand and started looking around.  
  
"It's just like I remember it," she said, with a small, quiet smile. "I remember when I was little, every morning I used to run in here and jump on the bed, and you'd both wake up and pull me under the covers with you. I'd cuddle up between you, and we'd all fall back asleep together."  
  
Piper smiled, and Leo put his arms around her. "It sounds perfect," he said. "I can't wait."  
  
"I wonder when it'll happen," Phoebe mused.  
  
Paige tilted her head, just remembering something. "Hey, what year was it back in your time?" she asked her niece.  
  
"2017," Molly replied.  
  
"Wow," Phoebe responded, looking shocked. "I can't believe things can change so much in just a few years."  
  
Piper's expression also changed, but for a different reason. "I'll be right back," she said, disappearing into the hallway.  
  
"It was even less time than you think," Molly continued, ignoring her mother's departure. "It only took about a year for the world to pretty much self-destruct. Without you, there wasn't anyone to protect the innocent. Evil took over."  
  
"Well we're not going to let that happen," Paige promised. "Now that we've got you here, we can make things right."  
  
"We need a plan," Phoebe said. "Some way to draw out the demon, then make sure we vanquish him before he has time to do any damage."  
  
"How?" Molly asked. "I can give you basic details, like what he looks like, but I don't know how far advanced he is in this time, or what powers he has, or if he's working with anyone and who."  
  
Paige and Phoebe bit their lips, thinking. A few minutes passed. Piper still hadn't returned, so Leo, sensing something was up, went to look for her.  
  
"Hey, speaking of powers, we haven't seen yours," Phoebe said suddenly.  
  
"Yeah, maybe you could help with the vanquish," Paige added. "You know, nothing dangerous or anything. Just distract him."  
  
Molly nodded. "Okay. I can do distraction. How about I astral behind him, like this?" She shut her eyes in concentration, fully expecting to appear on the other side of the room. She waited a minute, then... nothing. "What happened?" she asked. "Why isn't it working?"  
  
"You can't astral project?" Paige questioned. "Are you sure? Try one of your other powers."  
  
Molly tried using her telekinesis to call for a pen that was lying on Piper's nightstand. It didn't move. "I don't get it," she said, frustrated.  
  
"I think I do," Phoebe replied. "I mean, when we went back to the past to vanquish Nicholas, we didn't have our powers because our younger selves did, and the same powers can't go to two people - or rather, two versions of the same person - at a time. But Molly hasn't been born yet in this time, so we expected her to come back with her powers, but maybe since she doesn't exist yet, her powers don't, either."  
  
"That's a good theory," came Piper's voice from the doorway. Leo was standing behind her, holding her protectively. "But I've got a better one. It goes back to what you said before, about how we couldn't use our powers because the younger versions of us had them. You were right, two people can't share the same powers, even if one is just a future version of the other. The reason that she doesn't have her powers," she started, pointing to Molly. She looked down, put her hands over her stomach, and finished, "Is because she does."  
  
Her sisters looked at her in awe. "Honey, you're pregnant?" Phoebe asked. "Are you sure?"  
  
Piper nodded. "My powers have been off the past couple weeks - freezing things when I didn't intend to, and things like that. It didn't even enter my mind that this could be why, until just now, when Molly said we came back from 2017. That's sixteen years from now, and she said she's fifteen years old."  
  
"Yeah, but she never mentioned her exact birthday," Paige said. "Are you sure you're pregnant now, because it could have been later in the year-"  
  
"I'm sure," Piper said. "You know we've been trying, and I had a spare test kit in the bathroom. It's why I disappeared just now. It came up positive."  
  
She suddenly found herself enveloped in her sister's arms. "Sweetie, this is great," Phoebe said happily.  
  
"I can't wait to be an aunt," Paige added. She paused, looking over at Molly. "Er, well, I guess I'm already an aunt, or - how does this work, exactly?"  
  
Leo laughed. "I guess we've got a few months to figure it out."  
  
"At least some things make sense now," Piper said. "My powers, for one. Now I know there's nothing wrong with them, and I wasn't just randomly freezing things. It was the baby - Molly. I think it explains the dreams, too. Thought projection is one of her powers. She must have somehow sent those images back to herself, and that's how I got them. Just like when we went back to the 70's, and Mom got that premonition off of baby Phoebe."  
  
"So wait," Molly cut in. "If she - I - little me - has my powers, how am I supposed to help vanquish the demon?"  
  
"Oh, don't worry, honey," Piper assured her. "You just help us identify him, and your aunts and I will do the rest, okay? Now come on, let's just get this over with."  
  
Molly nodded apprehensively. "O-okay. He was tall, and in his human form he had wavy blonde hair. As a demon, he had light skin, and yellow-ish eyes. His powers were flame-throwing, deflection, and... um... I can't remember the others."  
  
"It's okay, honey," Phoebe said encouragingly. "Leo, is that enough to go on?"  
  
"It's a start," he told her. "I'll go check with the Elders." He orbed out, leaving his wife and her sisters alone with the girl.  
  
"So... what do we do now?" Paige asked.  
  
"I don't know," Piper replied.  
  
"Maybe we should just chill for a while, until Dad gets back," Molly suggested. "You guys should probably take a minute to process everything that's happened. I mean, going into the future, seeing what's going to happen and how you're going to die, finding out that Mom's pregnant with... well... me... that's a lot to deal with."  
  
"She's got a point," Phoebe concurred.  
  
"Yeah, maybe we should just, you know, take it easy until Leo gets back and things get crazy again," Paige added.  
  
"Okay," Piper agreed. To Molly, she said, "Come on, let's go downstairs and, I don't know, make dinner or something. It'll give me a chance to get to know my daughter."  
  
"Fine, but I don't do setting the table, clearing the table, or washing the dishes," Molly warned.  
  
Piper smiled, rolling her eyes. "You're going to be a handful, aren't you?" she predicted, leading her daughter out of the room.  
  
Molly nodded. "Oh yeah. But you'll learn to love me." 


End file.
